Aaron Smith Ft. Luvli, "Dancin (Steve Smooth & JJ Flores Remix)" (Moody, 2004)"When I started playing records in 2003, I played UK hard house on vinyl and hadn’t quite dabbled in Chicago house much till 2008. I found a pocket of greatness with soulful sounds of disco and beyond that made my heart sing. This song has always moved me, and I sometimes pull it out of my archives when I get the opportunity to play house music that calls for this sound."

Plump DJs, "Shifting Gears" (Finger Lickin', 2008)"I have been playing breaks since 2006 and usually stuck to electro breaks during that time. I started to develop and grow my sound and I am a sucker for soulful vocals, as you can see from my selection above. This has become one of my all-time favorite breaks tracks from back in the day that I still play remixes of today."

Hybrid Minds ft. Alexa Harley, "Phoenix" (Hybrid Music, 2017)"I have been spinning liquid drum & bass for almost a year now and this song has spoken to me with feel and lyrics. Liquid DnB makes me feel like no other genre. It speaks deeply to my heart and soul. When I was going through a divorce, I latched onto this song because I feel like a Phoenix rising from the ashes to be free to do the things I love again. Not sure I will ever get sick of hearing this song!"

Destructo ft. E-40 & Too $hort, "All Nite (Noise Frenzy Remix)" (Hits Hard, 2017)"Let’s be honest—I love to make booties clap! I also love songs with hip-hop undertones that you wouldn’t necessarily think a female would play. I grew up in the '90s and hip-hop filled my ears before any electronic music, so it's only natural for me to be attracted to styles of music with hip-hop samples. A lot of this also comes from my breaks background, as I love ALL THE BOOTY TRACKS! This is one of my current favorite tracks to play out. Especially love to break it down behind the decks during the last break of this song."

Martin Flex & Angel, "Bass Soul (Push Remix)" (Let's Go! Recordings, 2018)There are so many breaks tracks I could pick but I feel this one speaks best to the style I love to currently play. Aggressive but Soulful and chunky bass beat. I love a range of breaks from deep bass rollers to more energetic sounds but a female vocal always wins my heart! I am always expanding my breaks collections as I feel it is my duty to come fresh for a genre I push every day. Breaks are not dead - they are VERY much alive!"

DJing philosophy: "Keep it humble. It’s a dance between promoting yourself and being humble about your approach. Too much promoting and it’s all ego. Too modest and no one will know who you are. It’s great to talk about your achievements and put yourself out there to see how far you can go, but how you hold yourself when you don’t get what you want is what truly matters. No matter what level you are at, there WILL BE times where you will be passed on and not given the opportunities you feel you deserve. Just keep moving forward with love and light. When things do fall into place, the reward is even sweeter. And it builds you a solid reputation of respect!

"My motto is, 'Let the love, hustle, and talent speak for itself so eventually you don’t have to talk about yourself at all!'

"Diversity: The more diverse you are with your music, the more places you have to spread your wings. And it widens your skill set, as how you spin every genre is different. I take pride in being a diverse DJ who tells a musical story throughout my set. My favorite thing to do is dabble a bit of breaks in some of my house sets! This breaks up the 4/4 and usually energizes the crowd immediately with the unexpected shift in beats. With mixing genres, I push my boundaries as much as possible while maintaining the balance of keeping the floor engaged and staying true to the sounds I desire to bring.

"I’m always looking for new ways to expand and push my limits! This keeps not only me intrigued, but those who come to see me play. They get excited to see what direction I take them through their dance journey. The energy in the room is electric and palpable.

"Connection: If you are not feeling a connection to your music, neither will the dancers. If you are an empathetic DJ, you have an advantage to connect with the dancers on a whole new level. And let’s be honest, the dancers are a HUGE part of what makes electronic music tick, so being an empathetic DJ allows me to feel a room and adjust to what the crowd responds to and enjoys!

"Connecting with people in the community is just as important as connecting with the music you are serving up from behind the decks. Supporting the community is a key factor in its survival for you to have places to play at all. I attend as many shows and support as many DJs and performers that I can. This gesture alone is currency for our heart and love for one another. Invest in the community, get out and support!

"Energetic and expressive: I am VERY expressive, energetic and emotional when I play out. I sing, I dance and have even been known to cry. This engages the crowd and gathers excitement for your already bangin’ beats! The more energetic the crowd, the more energetic I am. How could one not when they are thrusting everything they’ve got on the floor—to your set! All in all, what I am trying to say here is HAVE FUN! If you’re not having fun, why do it?

"Sharing is caring: I love to learn from everyone around me. Everything from the music they are into, to how they play it, dance to it... whatever music does for you, I want to know more. When out and about, I absorb as much knowledge as I can from my peers and community members. I also love to share the knowledge I have about genres that people may not be well versed in. Breaks isn’t a commonly played genre, but it so happens to be my expertise, so you’ll find me helping a lot with that one. I also mentor DJs who may not know how to play breaks well (or at all) and want to learn. Most of the community returns the favor when I am in need of knowledge.

"I have recently started to take producing classes from a good friend, Jason Melton. He offers this as a service to the community for anyone wanting to learn to produce. I look to do something similar this summer by working with the Seattle DJ Academy on teaching DJing to others, especially womxn.

"Passion: At the end of the day, we have to be passionate about our work. Take care of each booking like it’s your first and last. Be early, be excited, be dedicated, stay late and always come ready to give it your all, every set!"

Format: "When I started DJing in 2003, it was all vinyl, all the way. Gradually, I moved up with the times of our digital age and learned electronic-music formats. Currently, I like to just plug and play CDJs and my USB stick (which I ALWAYS have with me), 'cause it’s easy and doesn’t require any other hardware. I prefer to keep it simple and be prepared."

Worst request: "At Noc Noc, someone asked me to play Britney Spears's '...Baby One More Time.' Remember that whole philosophy about the connection I need to feel to the music I play?"

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Dave Segal

Dave Segal is a journalist and DJ living in Seattle. He is a staff writer at The Stranger, where he has been a contributor since 2002. His primary subjects include music, music-related films, veganism, and linguistic atrocities that give him read rage.

Dave Segal

Dave Segal is a journalist and DJ living in Seattle. He is a staff writer at The Stranger, where he has been a contributor since 2002. His primary subjects include music, music-related films, veganism, and linguistic atrocities that give him read rage.